A human heart has been uncovered among piles of salt at a Tennessee Department of Transportation facility.
Workers at the facility in McEwen, west of Nashville, were making preparations for rough weather on Thursday when they came across something unusual that was later confirmed to be a human heart, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.
Heart Belongs to an Adult Male, Investigation Underway
Local news outlet WSMV reported that as workers retrieved salt from their barn, they discovered what they believed to be a weirdly shaped rock, later revealed to be a human heart. The heart appeared to have been there for atleast a "few weeks" and it was dehydrated from the salt, Davis said.
The organ was transported to the state medical examiner's office in Nashville, where testing of tissue samples confirmed that it was an adult male human heart. "An initial examination of the heart determined that it was that of an adult male," the bureau said in a statement Sunday.
Investigation Underway to Determine Origin of the Heart
Additional DNA testing will be performed to try to determine where the salt came from and how the organ ended up in the pile of salt. "TDOT's on board working with us to try and find any kind of information about where the salt came from and when it came in," Davis said.
"This remains an active and ongoing investigation," the bureau added. The Transportation Department is "fully cooperating with law enforcement as they continue their investigation," a spokesperson with the agency said in a statement Monday
No other remains were found at the facility after crews sifted through the salt barn. At this time we don't feel that anybody's safety is in question,' explained Davis.
"I've got 32 years in law enforcement. I do have to say this is probably in the top 5 of most bizarre things that I've ever seen," the sheriff added.
